


Sowing the Seeds of Love

by ShapeOfLou



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Bottom Harry Styles, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, Mpreg Harry, Oral Sex, Rimming, Top Louis Tomlinson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-18 22:53:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20647016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShapeOfLou/pseuds/ShapeOfLou
Summary: When Harry finds out that he's pregnant, he worries that Louis might not be ready to take on a task like parenthood. To prove himself, Louis buys a potted plant to keep alive—only it's much harder than he ever imagined.





	Sowing the Seeds of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!  
I just want to start off by saying that this was a labor of love and a test of my determination and resilience from start to finish but I pushed through! I hope that everyone enjoys it and I would love to hear some feedback and thoughts :)
> 
> I just want to give a huge shoutout to my amazing beta (userkant) who kept me on my toes during the entire process and to my amazing cheerleader and writing buddy (Halos_Boat) for being there when I insisted that I couldn't make it through. Thank you both, as well as anyone else who may have played a role in this process over the last few months. 
> 
> Without further ado,  
Enjoy!

“Did ya get it?”

Before Louis can speak, Harry grabs the pharmacy bag from his hands and dashes up the stairs and into their master bedroom. Louis drops his keys into the bowl on the table and follows him upstairs, only to be greeted by a locked bathroom door. He knocks gently. 

“Everything okay, love? Why the rush?” 

He hears Harry flush the toilet and turn on the sink but doesn’t get a response. A brief moment later, the door opens and Harry appears, looking somewhat frazzled. 

“Set a timer for, ehm, four minutes,” he says, looking down at the box in his hand. 

Louis pulls his iPhone from his pocket and does as he’s told, making sure the ringer volume is up. “Done,” he waves his phone at Harry, “So, what was the rush for?”

Harry giggles, “I needed a wee, I was waiting for you to get back. Besides, don’t you want to know?” 

At that moment, Louis’ stomach twists a little tighter. They had been leading up to this for a few days, with Harry having sudden morning sickness and all, but this being the final moment before a potentially life-changing discovery is hitting him harder than he expected it to. 

He shakes himself out of his thoughts and answers Harry’s question. “I do, yeah.” 

Harry walks past Louis and across the room, leaning against their shared bed. “What result are you hoping for?” 

Louis licks his lips.

“Be honest, please.”

“Positive.”

Harry’s face lights up. “Really?” 

“Yeah, really.” Louis smiles at him from across the room in return.

Harry begins to pick at the skin on his bottom lip, the tension seemingly hitting him at the same time it hit Louis. 

Before either of them speak again, Louis’ phone starts ringing in the back pocket of his jeans. He pulls it out and assures that it’s the timer, silencing it before placing it back into his pocket. He keeps his eyes locked on the floor and waits for Harry to move from the bed. 

What seems like ages later, Harry finally walks over to Louis and pauses in the doorway of their bathroom. He’s looking down at the floor with his bottom lip between his teeth when he places a hand flat on Louis’ chest. He clears his throat and looks up, “whatever result it ends up being, it’s fine, right? We didn’t plan but we-.” 

Louis interrupts before he starts to ramble, placing his hands on Harry’s shoulders for support. “Darling, it’s more than fine, okay? We can handle it.” 

He can tell that Harry is holding back tears (another reason they decided to take the test - Harry’s emotions had been out of whack for days now). “Sweetheart, look at me,” he waits for Harry to lock eyes with him, “it’s okay.” 

Harry nods quickly and clears his throat again, obviously trying not to get upset, “So, ehm, I guess we can look at the same time?” 

“However you want to do it, love.” 

Harry turns to look at the counter, “I’ll grab it and, um, we can look together.” 

Louis nods and squeezes Harry’s shoulders right before he pulls away and leans into the bathroom. Luckily, he left the test with the results face down, so he didn’t have to worry about accidentally seeing it when he grabs it and brings it into the bedroom. 

“Maybe we should sit down?” Harry asks, tilting his head towards their bed. Louis obliges and they walk in silence, sitting right on the edge of the mattress, slightly facing each other. 

Louis sees the test in Harry’s fist and his heart skips a beat - or three. He feels himself start to get dizzy, not knowing if it’s from fear or just the overall anxiety of the situation. “I’ll, um, count down?” 

“Okay,” Harry nods, looking down at his closed hand. 

Louis slowly counts down from three and when he reaches one, Harry’s trembling hand opens to reveal a glowing blue + sign. 

Positive. 

Before Louis has a moment to take it in, Harry immediately lets out a muffled sob, throwing his arms around Louis and burrowing his face into his neck. Louis squeezes him and runs a hand up and down his back to help calm his heaving breaths. “You alright, love?” He ignores the warm tears running down his own face. 

He feels Harry speak into his shoulder, but he can’t tell what he says. A few more moments pass before Harry pulls away and sniffles, looking at Louis with wet eyes and pink cheeks. 

“I said, are you happy?” Louis can’t help but admire how beautiful Harry looks like this. All of his already striking features are even more pronounced than usual. 

As if the smile on his face isn’t enough proof, Louis tells him, “Yes, darling, I told you I’d be happy with any result.” He squeezes Harry’s shoulder and uses his bare hand to wipe away a stray tear that was rolling down his cheek and tuck a curl behind his ear. 

Harry smiles from ear to ear, seemingly happy with the result himself. 

It’s not that they were trying for this, because they actually weren’t, but in this moment it hit them both how badly they wanted it. They had discussed it before, never really felt it was the “right” time, but knew that it wasn’t necessarily the _ wrong _ time, either. They had come to a mutual agreement months prior that any time would be as good as another, so they stopped being careful and waited for something to happen. And this was it. 

Harry’s tears cease and he sniffles one last time, giggling softly and licking his lips once before attaching them to Louis’, kissing him with vigor and determination. Louis gives in and kisses him back and immediately, Harry is pulling him down flat on the bed with him, their lips never parting. 

Louis catches himself positioning over Harry, planting his palms on either side of Harry’s face as they continue kissing, his knees on either side of Harry’s slim hips. Harry tangles his fingers into the back of Louis’ hair, pulling him as close as possible. He drags a hand down Louis’ side and pushes under his shirt, gently squeezing his fingertips into the soft flesh of his waist. 

Louis begins to lean into Harry’s touches and readjusts himself so he’s lying on his side, keeping one leg thrown over Harry’s thighs. In that moment, they break the kiss to catch their breath and Harry giggles softly. 

“What is it?” Louis asks, guessing the answer himself. He feels his cheeks begin to ache from the smile on his own face. 

“We’re having a baby, Lou,” Harry says, biting his bottom lip and grinning back at his husband. 

Louis doesn’t respond immediately, instead rubbing his hand over Harry’s flat stomach and tucking his fingers under the waistband of his joggers. “I know,” he begins, his eyes never leaving Harry’s gaze, “You’re going to look so beautiful once-”

Harry interrupts him with a fake scoff. “Am I not already?”

Louis giggles softly. “I was going to say once you start showing. Of course you’re beautiful, always, but knowing that everyone will see you and know that you’re carrying my child will be even better.” 

Harry blushes, unable to argue because Louis knows he loves the idea as much as he does, if not more. 

Louis slides his fingers down further, feeling Harry’s unkempt pubic hair, signaling the fact that he isn’t wearing any briefs. He rubs until he feels the base of his cock, semi hard at this point, and wraps his hand around it, stroking until he reaches the tip. 

Harry shudders as he keeps his eyes on Louis, his bottom lip between his teeth. He inhales sharply as Louis continues stroking, pulling his foreskin back with each tug. 

Louis feels Harry’s legs spread slightly, casually allowing for more room for movement inside of his pants. He pauses his stroking to fondle Harry’s balls, hanging heavy between his open legs. 

Louis can feel his own cock beginning to stiffen against Harry’s thigh, pushing that interruption to the back of his mind as he returns his focus to the sensitive tip of Harry’s cock, now slick with precome. He gently rubs his thumb up and down the slit as he begins to speak. 

“I’m so happy for you, baby,” he begins, “for us.”

Harry whispers, “Why only me? It’s yours, too.” It’s obvious that he’s holding back soft whimpers as Louis continues to touch his cock. 

“Because,” he pauses to think as he moves his hand, going back to stroking the entire length now that he is fully hard, “I know how badly you’ve wanted this. Even if you don’t say it, I know you want to carry a child, _ our _ child, and I’m glad that it’s possible, love. That’s all.” He smiles gently, locking eyes with Harry. 

“Yeah?” Harry says, his voice barely audible as he lets out a gasp. He clenches his eyes shut as Louis squeezes his balls again. 

“Does it turn you on, love? Knowing that we’re having a baby? That _ you’re _ having _ my _ baby?” He quickens the pace of his stroking, having enough lubrication from Harry’s continuously leaking tip to be vigorous. 

Harry bites his bottom lip and nods in response to Louis’ question. Louis can tell he’s struggling to keep his eyes open at this point, a known signal that he must be close to his release. 

The slick sounds of Louis’ hand on Harry’s length is the only sound in the room for a short moment as neither of them speak, maintaining their eye contact. Louis leans down and connects his lips to Harry’s and is met with overwhelming eagerness, Harry wasting no time to slip his tongue past Louis’ lips. Louis responds accordingly as he laps his tongue around Harry’s, pulling away to take a breath and kiss the corner of his mouth. In an act of desperation, Harry tangles his fingers into the back of Louis’ hair, pulling him in for more wet kisses, their tongues entwining once again.

Louis breaks away, keeping his face close to Harry’s as he feels their breath co-mingle. They maintain their eye contact as Louis says, “come on, love, let go.” 

Moments after he’s given permission, Harry groans softly, shooting his come onto his lower stomach and Louis’ hand as he strokes him through his orgasm. The hand still tangled in Louis’ hair pulls tighter, clenching as the pleasure tingles through him. 

Once the aftershocks die off, Harry sighs and loosens his grip on Louis’ hair and Louis slowly pulls his hand out of his joggers, being careful not to get any of the come from his hand onto their clothes or the bed. He sits up to walk to the bathroom but is stopped by Harry gently grabbing his hip. 

“What about you?” he asks, his voice soft. Louis turns around and meets his eyes, still heavy from his orgasm. His lips are puffy and his cheeks are a light shade of pink. Something that Louis has always loved about Harry - especially after sex - is how naturally pretty he is. 

Louis thinks he knows what he’s referring to, but he clarifies anyway. “What about me?” 

Harry bites the inside of his cheek. “Don’t you wanna come?” 

Louis smiles back at him and answers, “I’m fine, sweetheart, this is about you.” 

Harry’s blush deepens, “You sure?”

Louis nods back, smiling softly as he stands up and walks towards the bathroom. He quickly turns to say, “Don’t move!” 

*

Moments later he returns with a wet flannel in hand as he climbs back onto the bed, gently cleaning off Harry’s lower belly and cock with the rag before tossing it onto the bedside table. He lies down beside Harry in a similar position as before, with his leg thrown over Harry’s thighs, except this time Harry is on his side facing him. They lock eyes and revel in the calm silence for a few moments before Harry speaks quietly and slowly. 

“I guess it’s finally happening, Lou.” 

Louis takes a moment to run his fingers through Harry’s messy curls that are hanging in front of his face and softly pushes them back and away from his eyes. “It sure is. Still excited?”

“Course I’m still excited!” Harry replies in mock disgust, the smile never leaving his face. “It’s not like this has been my life goal or anything.” 

“Easy now, love,” Louis chuckles softly. “Don’t get yourself worked up.” 

“Oh, hush. I won’t have you coddling me, just so you know,” Harry replies matter-of-factly. Louis has always known how stubborn he is, so this is no surprise. 

“Oh, yeah?” 

“Mhmm, I can take care of myself.” He raises his hand and runs a finger across Louis’ chin before booping him on the nose. “However, I’m open to as many massages as you’re willing to give.” 

Louis jokingly bites the finger that is now tracing across his bottom lip. “Well, I guess it’s too bad that I’ve already got plans for you.” 

At this, Harry raises his eyebrows.

“Whatever you want, whenever, you can have it.” Louis replies sincerely, “I don’t care how big or small, if I can do it for you I want you to get it. I want this to be a pleasant experience, okay?” 

Harry hums in contemplation, not exactly the response Louis expected from this. 

“What is it?” 

Harry bites in the inside of his cheek before taking a deep breath. He begins to speak slowly. “It’s just- are you sure you can handle all of this? I mean-”

Louis furrows his eyebrows and replies quietly, trying to maintain his composure as he cuts Harry off. “Handle what? What do you mean, H?” 

“It’s not _ bad _, love, I just- know how you are sometimes and this is a big thing? I don’t want you overwhelmed, that’s all.” Harry’s expression is soft, so Louis knows that he means no harm with his words, but he’s still being rubbed the wrong way. 

“Could you explain?” Louis says calmly, a last attempt at being civil. 

Harry takes a moment to think before clarifying in the best way he knows how. “Do you remember that time I had to leave town for four days and you called me _ seventeen times _ asking for help? Even after I had left detailed notes? It just makes me a little worried about how you would handle a baby...” 

Louis quickly throws his legs over the side of the bed and sits up, completely pulling away from Harry. He inhales deeply through his nose before speaking softly, still looking away. “If this is how you feel then maybe we shouldn’t even be having a baby in the first place.” 

Harry instinctively reaches out to grab Louis’ side but Louis pulls away as he stands up. Harry’s tone completely changes as he tries to defend himself. “Lou, baby, you know that’s not what I mean. I’ve wanted this more than anythi-”

Louis quickly cuts him off as he walks towards the door, avoiding any eye contact with Harry, who is still on the bed. “We can talk about this tomorrow.” 

As a final blow, Louis leaves the room and closes the door behind himself. He waits a brief moment for Harry to intervene and beg him to come back, but eventually decides that Harry most likely knows it’s best for them to have time to themselves to think things over. 

He sleeps on the couch that night. 

***

A loud noise jolts Louis awake and the pain in his back immediately brings him back to the night before and why he’s sleeping on the uncomfortable sofa. He rubs his eyes before reaching over and grabbing his iPhone from the coffee table. He checks the time and sees that it’s 10:28 - later than he usually sleeps, but acceptable considering how late he stayed up thinking of various scenarios and how things could have gone differently. He shakes himself out of those thoughts, trying to avoid getting back into that headspace first thing in the morning. 

Suddenly, the loud noise happens again and he recognizes it immediately - Harry is in the kitchen trying to grab a pan without knocking the entire stack over. He figures he must have quietly walked down not long before he woke Louis up. 

After going upstairs to relieve himself and wash his face, Louis is drawn back to the living room by the smell of butter in a pan. He peeks around the corner into the kitchen and sees Harry’s back turned so he slowly approaches, clearing his throat as he says, “Officially eating for two, I suppose?” 

Harry jumps slightly at the interruption and turns his head, giggling to himself. 

“Well, maybe, but I was thinking two as in you and I?” He pauses his mixing to turn to see Louis’ response. 

Louis nods and smiles softly. “Of course, love.” 

***

Harry finishes cooking breakfast while Louis sets the dining table. Once the kettle heats up, Harry pours them both a cup for their morning tea and Louis mouths a soft _ thank you _ as Harry hands him his. Once he sits down, Harry clears his throat. “So, um, we definitely need to talk about what happened last night.” 

Louis swallows his first bite of french toast and dabs his lip with a napkin as he thinks of what to say. He looks at Harry thoughtfully as he says, “I did a lot of thinking last night and-” 

Harry interjects almost immediately, his tone frantic. “Lou, please, I didn’t mean-”

“Love, let me finish, please,” Louis states softly, not wanting Harry to worry. “I did a lot of thinking and realized that you were right. I think I may be guilty of taking advantage and I’m sorry for that.”

Harry looks like he wants to object again, to which Louis raises a finger before continuing. “You’ve always taken such good care of me and I try my best to help out, but, like I said, I think it’s too easy to take advantage when I know that you’re always here for me.” He pauses, breaking eye contact with Harry as he looks down. “So I’ve decided that now is a perfect time for me to take responsibility and take care of things, not only for the baby, but for you as well.” 

He looks back at now teary-eyed Harry when he finishes. Louis reaches across the table and lies his hand down flat, waiting for Harry to put his on top. “Don’t cry, baby, we can do this.” 

Harry squeezes Louis’ hand and uses the back of his free hand to wipe his damp cheek. “I know, it’s just-” he sniffles, “I love you so much, Lou. I’m sorry I made you mad, I shouldn’t have said that.” 

Louis pulls their interlocked hands towards himself to place a soft kiss on Harry’s. “Don’t worry about it, I promise it’s okay.” 

“Yeah?” 

Louis notices a new batch of tears form and begin to roll down Harry’s face. He assumes the pregnancy hormones are in full swing and wonders how long they’ll stay this way. 

He rubs his thumb over Harry’s hand and squeezes gently, looking Harry in the eyes as he says, “Yes, of course, always.”

***

  
“You’ve been acting off today, what’s up man?” 

Louis looks away from his sandwich that Harry had made him earlier this morning and glances at the man sitting across from him at the lunch table. 

“Got some, uh, news this weekend,” Louis says, biting the inside of his lip as he holds back a smile. 

“Good or bad?” 

“Well, Ni, we haven’t really told anyone yet but, I guess I can trust you with a secret.”

The other man’s eyes widen as he leans closer. “A secret, eh?” 

“It’s not really a secret, I don’t know, just not something to run around announcing to everyone… yet,” Louis takes a deep breath before blurting out, “Harry’s pregnant.” 

“Oh, shit! Congratulations to you both! I didn’t know you were even trying.” 

Louis laughs softly to himself, tilting his head to the side as he says, “Well, we weren’t, really.” 

“Not really? What does that mean?” Niall scoffs. 

“We weren’t _ not _ trying is all. Just went with the flow, I guess.” He pops a crisp into his mouth and chews before speaking again. “Oi, don’t tell anyone, I don’t know if Harry wants everyone knowing.”

Niall runs his thumb and finger over his lips as if to signal a zipper. “It’s safe with me.”

Louis says his thanks as Niall speaks again. “By the way, are you sure you can handle a kid? I’ve seen you try to take care of yourself, lad. Not pretty.” 

Louis groans in disbelief, covering his face with his hands. “What the fuck. You too?”

“What? Just saying it how it is.”

“Harry gave me shit too.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “It’s fine now but we kind of had an argument about it— him accusing me of being helpless.” 

“Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—” Niall begins, his tone flustered. 

Louis interjects. “Nah, don’t worry about it. You’re both right,” he takes a deep breath, “but I’ve got an idea for how I can prove myself.”

“What is it?” Niall asks, intrigued. 

“I’m gonna buy a plant and keep it alive.” 

***

“You really think this is going to work?” Harry asks. He’s glaring down skeptically at the fuzzy-leaved plant that Louis just placed on the table. 

“Why not? I was thinking that it would teach me how to take care of something that’s pretty helpless, right?” Louis bats Harry’s hand away as he begins to pick off wilting leaves. “Stop that!” 

“Why did you get one that’s already wilted?” It’s obvious that it pains him to hold back from pruning the pitiful-looking plant. 

Louis has to hide the fact that he didn’t realize the appearance was a bad thing. “I did that on purpose for extra practice, obviously.” 

Harry leans back in his desk chair and raises his eyebrows judgingly. He runs a hand under his shirt and presses it flat against his stomach. Though he says otherwise, Louis is pretty sure he’s getting impatient waiting for his bump to start showing. “Whatever you say, love. Good luck.” 

“It’ll be fine, okay?” Louis plucks a tan leaf from the distressed plant. “It’s cute, innit?” 

“It is, though I’m sure it could be better. What is it, anyway?” 

“I took a picture on me phone, wait—” Louis reaches into his back pocket to retrieve his phone, unlocking it and scrolling through his apps to find his recent photos. He speaks proudly as he reads from the sign in the image. “_ Stachys byzantina - aka ‘Lambs Ear’- is an herbaceous perennial that is characterized by its wooly leaves that appear to be silver. Given the right treatment, they are also known to sprout wispy pink flowers from June to September. Originating in the Middle East, the lamb’s ear thrives in sunlight and doesn’t require much water. They can grow to be 45cm by 60cm _.” 

Harry nods his head in understanding. “Why did you pick this one?”

“Well, it seems simple enough. Also because I like how soft it is. I didn’t want anything sticky or prickly because then it might tick me off and I wouldn’t care to keep it alive.”

“Don’t be mean now, love. They can’t help it,” Harry giggles softly. “You should give it a name.”

“Hmm, yeah? I suppose that could help. Have anything in mind?” 

Harry hums quietly to himself. “I’m sure I could think of something, but it might be better if you do it yourself. Sentiment and all.”

“Like what?” 

“I dunno. You know I love puns, though,” Harry smirks to himself and Louis doesn’t even want to ask him what he’s thinking of. 

“I’d rather have something kind of normal, honestly. Make it easier to connect with.”

“So I guess Fur-galicious is out of the question,” Harry giggles loudly. “Get it? Because it’s furry?” 

Louis rolls his eyes with a groan but can’t contain his laughter. “Sometimes I can’t believe I married you!” 

“You love me and you know it!” Harry argues jokingly. 

“I never said I didn’t, babe, but I do know that _ I _ will be the one making the final decision on the baby’s name.” 

“That’s not fair! I’m the one doing all the hard work here, you know,” Harry groans. 

“Well, if you can prove that I can trust you, I’ll consider it.” Louis raises his eyebrows at Harry, who pouts ridiculously. 

“Whatever you say, love.” 

“Ooh! I know!” Louis pipes up, “What about Lucy?” 

“Why Lucy?” 

“I dunno, I just thought about how we were just watching _ 50 First Dates _ and you mentioned liking that name.” Louis shrugs. “Besides, it’s kinda cute. _ Lucy the lambs ear _.”

Harry smiles sincerely, “Lucy it is, then.” 

***

Louis runs his fingers across the soil, poking around in an attempt to find any trace of moisture in the houseplant. He holds a particle in between his thumb and forefinger and rubs the two together causing the dirt to break into smaller crumbles. He thinks back to the online field guide he read a few days earlier and how this is a perfect time for watering, counting down in his head to the last time he watered it and making a mental note of how long it took to dry out. Before he can reach down to grab the glass of water he brought into the room with him, he hears the door unlock and open beside him. 

He looks up with a smile. “Hey, sweetie!”

Harry smiles back as he hangs his jacket on the coat hook. “What’s up, love?” 

“I was just about to give Lucy a little water. How was your day?” 

“Um, pretty good. Met Mum and Gems for lunch and then we ran a few errands.” 

“Well I’m glad you had fun. It’s good to get out sometimes.” Louis mumbles as he turns to grab the glass of water and squats down so he’s eye-level with the dirt. He slowly tips the cup so only a few drops fall out at a time. 

“Yeah, did you hear about— damn, you weren’t lying about a little water,” Harry comments as he watches Louis closely. 

“Well,” Louis begins but pauses as he focuses on the last few drops, making sure to rotate the pot so the limited water is evenly distributed. “I read that it’s very easy to over-water and you should only water when the soil is completely dry.” 

“Are you sure that’s enough?” Harry asks. 

Louis pokes around the soil again, this time noting the slight dampness. He rustles the leaves. “Not sure, but I’d rather check again another time instead of over-watering now. Right?” 

Harry shrugs, “If you say so.”

***

“Nervous?” Harry asks, shaking Louis out of his daydream. 

“Me?” Louis giggles to himself. “If anyone should be nervous, it’s you, love.” 

“Well I am, if it makes you feel any better.” 

Louis tilts his head to the side and gives Harry a soft smile as he continues to rub his thumb over the back of his hand. He brings Harry’s shaky hand to his face and places a soft kiss against his knuckles. “There’s nothing to worry about, you’re doing great.”

Harry bites his lip as the door in front of them opens. 

Louis feels Harry squeeze his hand tightly before pulling away and placing his own flat against his stomach. They exchange one more glance before the doctor begins to speak.

“Good afternoon, guys!” 

Louis watches as the middle-aged woman walks to the desk and places her folder down. She puts on rubber gloves as she starts questioning Harry.

“How is your morning sickness, Mr. Tomlinson?” 

Louis gives Harry a quick knowing look as Harry answers. “Ehm, I think it’s pretty much gone? I think the pills that I got last time did the trick.” 

“Oh, wonderful!” The doctor looks down at her notes. “So I have that you’re around 12 weeks?”

Harry nods. “As far as I know, yeah.” 

“Alright, well, the good news is that the morning sickness and fatigue should be pretty much over with. However, you might start experiencing some dizziness or headaches. As always, if you feel worse than normal or have any concerns at all, you can always call us and we’ll do our best to help, okay?” She smiles sincerely and looks at both Harry and Louis before sitting on the stool and rolling closer to Harry. “So our goal for today is pretty much to confirm the gestation and to hear the heartbeat.” 

Hearing that causes Louis’ stomach to suddenly sink. He knew what they came here for, obviously, but actually hearing it out loud sends him into a mild frenzy. He wonders if Harry feels him squeeze his hand harder than usual. 

“It’s going to be cold at first, just to warn you.” The doctor smiles softly as she squirts the blue gel onto Harry’s exposed lower belly. Harry lets out a soft hum as she rubs the sensor across his stomach, moving it around until she finds what she’s looking for. She turns to the monitor beside her and presses a few buttons and Louis attempts to understand what it is she’s looking at. He had been through this before with his mum’s last pregnancy, the seemingly endless appointments and checkups, but it's a different feeling knowing that this is his own child and husband that he has to be concerned for, and he can’t help but be slightly worried about everything. 

“Seems like someone is being stubborn today,” the doctor says as she continues to rotate the sensor, hoping for a clear image. A brief moment later she finally finds what she was looking for. “There’s your baby!” 

Louis can clearly see the shape of the head, body, and legs and he’s immediately overwhelmed with emotions. He doesn’t fight the urge to hide the tears that immediately begin to run down his cheeks. He hears Harry whisper _ wow _ at the same time he squeezes his hand tightly and turns to him, his own face soaked in fresh tears. 

“That’s _ our baby _, Lou,” Harry whispers, an ear-to-ear grin across his face and dimples on full display. 

“Are you guys ready to hear the heartbeat?” the doctor asks before Louis can reply. 

They nod and instinctively squeeze each other’s hands tightly as the doctor adjusts the volume in order for them to hear it better. Seconds later, a muffled thumping sound begins to fill the room. 

Harry immediately gasps and brings his free hand to his face, wiping the newly-forming tears away with his thumb. “This is so much.” 

“It’s incredible,” Louis comments with sincerity. “You’re really doing this, love.” 

With that comment, it finally hits Louis that, although Harry is the one actually pregnant, they’re _ both _the ones doing this. The upcoming late nights, doctor visits, feedings, and diaper changes are huge changes that they are both going to have to adjust to. The sudden realization makes him lightheaded. “Lou, I said, are you okay?” Harry asks, a look of concern on his face as he firmly grabs Louis’ arm. 

Louis realizes that the machine has been shut off and Harry’s stomach had already been wiped clean while he was spaced out. He tries to play it cool but hears the doctor mention something about most new dads having this same issue. 

“No, ‘m fine, really,” Louis says, trying to ward off any accusations of him being like ‘most dads’. 

“He’ll come around,” Harry whispers to the doctor before standing up and grabbing Louis’ hand on the way out. 

***

Louis stumbles into the house as he attempts to balance the phone under his ear and his multiple bags of groceries. He listens to Anne ramble while _ ahh _’ing here and there to make sure she knows that he’s listening. 

He finds Harry sitting at the kitchen table. “I promise he’s doing great. I understand the worry but he’s taking it extremely well. Matter of fact, he’s right here —did you want to talk to him?”

Harry shakes his head and holds up a hand, mouthing _ No! _as Louis hands him the phone. He flips Louis the bird as he takes it from him. “Hiiiii, Mum. I’m fine!”

Harry leaves the room as he attempts to calm his worrying mother. Louis giggles to himself, knowing how much Harry hates being bothered when he knows he has everything under control, but he also thinks he needs to keep his mother updated. 

It only takes Louis a few minutes to put away the groceries he brought home before Harry walks in and hands his phone back. “Thanks for that!”

Louis takes a bite from one of the apples he just placed in the fruit basket. “You just make her worry more when you ignore her calls!” 

“But I already tell her everything! What more does she need to know?” Harry groans, plopping back down onto kitchen chair. 

Louis takes a few steps and places his semi-eaten fruit down onto the table before massaging Harry’s shoulders. He speaks softly in an attempt to calm Harry’s nerves. “She’s just trying to help, okay? She just wants everything to go smoothly and she doesn’t realize she’s stressing you out. Just — try to entertain her? You know how she gets when you don’t speak to her for a couple days.” 

Harry hums, softening under Louis’ touch. “I know, I’m trying my best.” 

Louis leans down and places a kiss to the top of Harry’s head. When he raises back up, he notices something out of the corner of his eye. “Did you do anything to Lucy?” 

Harry turns to look up at Louis, his eyebrows furrowed. “No? You told me not to.”

Louis walks over to where he placed the potted plant in the front window a few weeks ago. He observes the fuzzy leaves and notices much more significant wilting than he had seen previously. A few leaves were even starting to turn a faint brown color. He immediately pulls his phone out to do a quick web search. 

“It’s saying that it’s probably not getting enough water. Everything I’ve read says it’s easy to over-water so I’ve been very careful,” Louis complains. 

“It’s only been a few weeks, so maybe you just need to figure out the happy medium?” Harry pipes up from across the room. 

“Yeah.” Louis lets out a deep breath through his nose. “Maybe I’ll water a little more than I have been.” 

Harry hops up and meets Louis at the windowsill. He begins to rustle through the leaves and pulls a brown one off. “It would help to pick—” 

“No! Let me do it, okay? I’ll figure it out,” Louis snaps.

Harry mouths a dramatic _ okaaaay _ and steps backward. “I’m going to head on up to bed. I think the little sprout is already draining me.” 

“Okay, I’ll be up in a bit,” Louis says as he continues to focus on the plant. As soon as he hears Harry begin to step away, the guilt of the outburst hits him. 

“Hey, love?” Louis turns and reaches towards Harry, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer. He wraps his arms around Harry’s waist, feeling the slight bump against his own flat stomach. He places a soft kiss to Harry’s nose and whispers, “Sorry for the outburst, pumpkin, I just want to do this myself. I’ll meet you upstairs in a few, but lemme try to figure this out.”

Harry scrunches his nose in an attempt to hide the smile starting to appear. “It’s okay, I’ll see you in a bit.” 

***

The smell of cocoa butter overwhelms Louis as he steps into the shared master bedroom later that night. Harry smiles up at him as he continues to rub lotion onto his bare thighs.

“So how’s it looking?” Harry says softly, rubbing the last bit into his hands. “The plant— Lucy?” 

Louis clears his throat loudly as he rubs the back of his neck. “It’s, uh, not great at the moment, but I think I have it under control.” 

Harry hums to himself, rolling onto his side as Louis sits on his side of the bed. He reaches out and rubs Louis’ thigh, gently squeezing. “It’ll get there, love. Don’t rush it,” he assures.

Louis nods as he places his hand on top of Harry’s, pulling it up to his mouth to place a soft kiss. “I know. It’s just a little discouraging, that’s all.” 

“You know,” Harry pulls his hand away and places it on Louis’ thigh, rubbing and squeezing near his groin. He looks up with a slight smirk, “I think I know a way to get your mind off of things for a bit.”

“What happened to being drained?” Louis asks with a sly smirk, knowing _ exactly _what it is that Harry wants to do. 

Harry tilts his head to the side, keeping his hand against Louis’ thigh and slowly moves it upwards. “I think it passed.” 

Louis hums as he attempts to indulge Harry. “So, what do you have in mind?” 

“I think it would be better if I showed you,” Harry whispers seductively as he slowly moves his face closer to Louis’ clothed crotch. Louis takes the hint to lean back against the pillows and Harry pushes his shirt up to expose his lower belly. He starts out by placing wet kisses below Louis’ navel, moving side-to-side across his hips and occasionally taking the soft pale skin between his teeth. 

Harry pulls away to prop himself onto his elbows in order to unzip Louis’ jeans and pull them and his pants down. He tucks both waistbands below his balls and grabs Louis’ soft cock with one hand, slowly stroking a few times before leaning down and lapping his tongue against it. 

Louis inhales deeply through his nose as he watches Harry use his mouth and hand to get him hard. He gasps as Harry sucks down his cock and rubs it against his inner cheek while making eye contact. 

“So good, love,” Louis says as he runs his fingers through Harry’s curls. He tucks them behind Harry’s ear before moaning loudly, throwing his head back as Harry circles his tongue between the foreskin and slick tip. He shudders slightly when Harry starts to sink down, taking his length inch by inch until it hits the back of his throat. He bobs his head and causes the curls that Louis just tucked back to fall over his eyes. 

Louis grabs the front of Harry’s hair again and holds it back, gripping tightly and following the swift movements of Harry taking his cock down to his throat repeatedly. He moans. “I’m gonna come if you don’t slow down.” 

At that, Harry pops off loudly, a string of saliva connecting his lips to the cock that he continues to jerk off. “It’s that good?” 

“You know it’s always that good,” Louis says, further pleasing Harry. “Roll over, I wanna take care of you.” 

Harry doesn’t argue and immediately turns onto his back, allowing for Louis to climb on top of him. 

“You’re already so hard just from having my cock in your mouth, baby,” Louis whispers, his hand sliding down to grab the bulge in Harry’s joggers. He strokes and squeezes it gently, causing Harry to whimper and writhe underneath his weight. He leans down and connects their lips, closed at first but quickly opening up to allow each other in. Louis tastes himself slightly on Harry’s tongue and catches himself gasping as Harry pulls slightly on the back of his hair. He breaks the kiss and they breathe heavily for a moment while keeping eye contact. 

Louis admires the way Harry immediately melts into him, allowing him to touch wherever he pleases without a touch of dissatisfaction. Harry has always been submissive, but his growing pregnancy seems to be having an effect on his libido and willingness, making him even more pliant than normal. 

Louis leans down and kisses along Harry’s jaw, getting a loud squeal when he bites and sucks into the tender spot right under his ear. When he pulls away, satisfied knowing that a spot will likely appear there later, he whispers, “I’m gonna fuck you so good, love.” 

“P-please, I need it,” Harry whines back, his breath heavy and his body squirming beneath Louis. 

“I know you do, kitten,” Louis says with a smirk, causing Harry to moan softly at the pet name. 

He pulls away and sits up so he is sitting flat on Harry’s hips, legs on either side of his slim body. He places both hands flat on Harry’s stomach and slides his t-shirt up so he can caress the slight bump. “You’re doing so well, you know that?” 

Harry pinches his lower lip between his thumb and pointer finger, pulling at it slightly as he whispers, “I am?” 

Louis uses his thumbs to rub circles into Harry’s protruding lower belly. “Yeah, of course. You’ve wanted this for so long and now you’re so good at it— just like everything else you ever do. You look as gorgeous as ever.” 

“Yeah?” Harry’s voice almost cracks when he speaks, causing Louis to lean forward and connect their lips once again. 

Louis breaks the kiss a few seconds later and sits up. He pushes on Harry’s t-shirt and says, “How about we get you out of these?” 

As Louis pulls the shirt up Harry’s chest, Harry attempts to help by lifting off of the bed slightly and raising his arms, allowing for Louis to slip it over his head. They both giggle as Harry’s curls fall over his face and Louis helps push them back and tuck them behind his ear. 

In an act of impatience, Harry lifts his hips and frees himself from his joggers and pants as soon as Louis climbs off of him. He tosses them onto the floor beside the bed and Louis immediately strips himself of his own clothes and leans across the bed to open the nightstand drawer. He rummages through the contents and grabs a small bottle before sitting back up. 

“You ready, love?” Louis asks as he positions himself on his stomach between Harry’s legs, causing Harry to spread his legs open and bend his knees, allowing for as much room as possible. He nods to give Louis the go-ahead. 

Louis clicks open the bottle and squirts some of the liquid onto his fingers, careful not to spill any of it. He closes the bottle and tosses it to the side as he leans down and rubs his slick fingers across Harry’s hole, watching as the tight entrance quivers at his touch. He hears Harry whimper slightly. 

“Lou, please, I want it,” Harry begs. 

Louis places a wet kiss to Harry’s inner thigh. “I know you do, babe.” 

Harry takes a deep breath as Louis presses a finger in slowly. There’s little resistance so Louis adds the tip of the second finger, feeling more stretch as he pushes it further in. 

As Louis bottoms out both fingers, he begins to scissor in attempt to open Harry up as much as possible. While he continues to stretch him open, he leans down and wraps his lips around one of Harry’s balls, gently sucking it into his mouth and lapping his tongue against it. He feels Harry squeeze his thighs together and run his fingers through his hair, pulling him upwards until he pops off loudly. 

“What’s the matter?” 

“I’m ready,” Harry mumbles in desperation. 

“Just a second, love. Can’t rush these things.” Louis assures an impatient Harry as he slowly slides a third finger in. He thinks about how Harry usually isn’t this demanding until at least 3 fingers in. 

Before pulling out, Louis leans down to kiss Harry’s inner thigh again as a way to tease him further. “You always take my fingers so well.” 

Harry only responds with a slight whimper as Louis pulls all three fingers out. He sits up straight and reaches for the bottle of lube he tossed to the side a few minutes earlier, popping the cap and squeezing a bit onto his hand before he begins slickening his cock. 

Louis looks down at Harry sprawled in front of him. His legs are obscenely spread open and his cock is hard against his lower stomach. He admires the gentle slope that expands from below his navel and down his pubice, taking note of the few faint stretch marks beginning to appear. He’s suddenly interrupted by Harry kneeing him in the side and whining loudly. 

“Sorry, love. You’re just so pretty.” He wonders if Harry knows how breathtaking he is. “How do you want it?” 

“Just like this,” Harry replies hastily, clearly pushing aside what Louis said. He spreads his legs again, wiggling so that his ass is right in Louis’ line of sight. 

Louis tosses the bottle to the side and climbs onto his knees, knowing better than to keep Harry waiting any longer. He leans down so that one hand is on the bed for stability while the other is wrapped around the base of his cock. He gives himself a single stroke before lining himself up with Harry’s entrance and pushing in slowly. 

At the same time that he plants his other hand on the bed, Harry throws his legs around his waist and pulls him closer, practically begging for him to bottom out. They both moan in unison when he’s entered completely and Louis wonders if he’ll ever get over the feeling of first sliding into Harry’s slick heat. 

“So fucking big, Lou,” Harry groans as he runs his hands up Louis’ sides. They still for a moment as Harry adjusts to the stretch. Harry bites his lip and gives Louis a nod as a go-ahead to move. 

Louis leans down so his face is right above Harry’s. He connects their lips and begins to slowly move his hips, gradually sliding out before slipping back in. He breaks the kiss with a soft gasp. “You’re so tight.” 

Harry giggles and Louis sees his face flush immediately from the compliment. He picks up the pace of his thrusts and watches satisfaction take over Harry’s features before nuzzling his face into the crook of Harry’s neck. He kisses him softly before sucking a love bite into his jaw, causing Harry to moan and dig his nails into the soft flesh of Louis’ shoulders. 

“So, so good,” Harry slurs in between the small gasps in time with Louis’ thrusts. 

Louis doesn’t respond with words, but instead picks up the pace and thrusts faster. He hears Harry choke back a moan and eventually the only sound in the room is the sound of his balls slapping Harry’s ass with every stroke. He pauses only to adjust his angle before kicking back into gear, thrusting as quickly as possible. 

“Shit!” Harry yells as he tightens his legs around Louis, pulling him as close as possible. He begins to ramble incoherently and Louis hears his name mixed with breathy moans and what he thinks are swear words.

During an especially loud moan, Louis feels Harry quickly tighten around him and then immediately soften with a quiver, letting go of his grip on Louis’ shoulders and loosening his thighs, signaling that he must have hit his orgasm.

The overwhelming sensation suddenly hits Louis and he feels the familiar tightening in his lower stomach. He moans in Harry’s ear. “_ Fuck _, I’m gonna come.” 

Harry is unable to respond before Louis is overcome by his orgasm. He slows down his thrusts as he releases inside with a loud groan. Once the pulsing stops, he collapses onto Harry as they both attempt to catch their breath. 

After a moment, he feels Harry kiss the side of his face and run soft circles into the back of his bicep. He whispers, “I love you, Lou.” 

Louis inhales deeply through his nose before propping himself on his elbows. He looks down at Harry and is met with a soft smile and disarray of curls. “I love you, too, darling.” 

Harry raises his eyebrows and starts to laugh. “I’m glad, but could you maybe take your cock out of me?” 

Louis feels himself turn red as he pulls his hips upwards to release his soft cock and it immediately hits him how sweaty and sticky he feels. “So, uh, how about we go get you cleaned up?” 

***

Louis winces as his knee strikes the corner of the coffee table on his way to the kitchen, cursing himself internally for still doing that even though Harry had bought the table almost a year prior. He flips the light switch once he enters the kitchen and squints at the initial shock of the bright glow that fills the room. 

“I really hope we still have mint oreos,” he whispers to himself as he opens the cabinets. Mint had apparently been Harry’s odd pregnancy craving and Louis appreciates that it isn’t something weirder. He shuffles through all of his half-eaten bags of crisps and sees no trace of the biscuits he was sent down for. His mind starts racing with thoughts of how he’s going to explain to his four-months-pregnant husband that they’re out of the snacks he needs at 4am. 

He does a quick glance over the rest of the room, hoping that they were left out on a counter somewhere. They don’t show up so he starts heading upstairs in hopes that, by some miracle, Harry had fallen back asleep. To gain more time, he decides to check on Lucy. 

There’s a faint glow from the street lamp outside, but Louis leans down to turn the lamp on so he can see the plant clearly. His stomach immediately sinks . 

The last time he had watered the plant, the leaves were still fuzzy and vibrant green. Right now, however, they are wilted on top and soggy and brown on the bottom. He groans. What the fuck?

He begins to pick around the bottom of the plant, pulling off the rotted leaves, leaving the few that were simply wilted. With a hand full of slimy leaves, he uses his free hand to poke around the dirt and notices that it’s still significantly wet. He inhales deeply through his nose as he silently curses himself for upping the dosage of water by _ that _ much. As he walks to the kitchen to drop the leaves into the trashcan and wash his hands, he hears footsteps on the stairs. 

“Lou? Where are you?” 

Louis dries his wet hands on his t-shirt as he runs to greet Harry. “Here! I’m sorry, love, I couldn’t find the—” 

“They’re right _ there. _” Harry points across the room to the package sitting on the end table. Louis runs over to grab them and waits for Harry to stop rubbing his eye with the back of his hand before he passes them over.

“Everything alright?” 

Harry bites the inside of his lip before he speaks. “Yeah, just tired and starving.” His last word is muffled by a yawn. 

“I’m sorry I made you wait, really. Why don’t you head back up while I cut the light off?” 

“Okay,” Harry whispers, turning to head up the stairs, biscuits in hand. 

***

“I’ve got it!” Harry shouts as he runs to answer the front door. Louis smiles and rolls his eyes as he washes his hands in the next room over. 

“Hey, guys! I was afraid I would miss you two,” Louis overhears Harry say when he welcomes Niall and his fiancé, Shawn, inside. 

Niall laughs. “We’re just a tad early, I hope that’s okay?” 

Louis shouts from the kitchen, “I’ll be right there!” 

“Look at you, H! You look great. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Shawn interrupts, clearly enthralled by Harry’s current state. He gestures towards the bump before pulling Harry into a tight hug. 

Harry pulls away with a giggle, rubbing his stomach with both hands. “I know, I know, I’m getting massive! No need to remind me, okay?” 

“Cut that out, love,” Louis says, shaking his head as he enters the room. 

Harry looks over and sticks his tongue out playfully. Louis does the same in response before before blowing a kiss and smirking to himself when he sees Harry look down to hide his flushed cheeks. He looks over at his guests and clears his throat before speaking. “Hey, lads! I thought you had that meeting to go to?” 

“Yeah, we did, but it got canceled.” Niall shrugs. “We were already out at the shops so we decided it wouldn’t hurt to get here a little bit early. I hope, anyway.” 

“It’s fine. Harry here was just about to head out, though,” Louis responds, quickly exchanging an understanding glance with Harry. He’s sure he didn’t want to be rude and say it himself. 

“I guess I better get going. I’m probably already a little late,” Harry says as turns and walks into the kitchen. 

“So, did you guys need a drink or anything? Have a seat.” Louis gestures towards the furniture and Niall and Shawn take him up on his offer, asking for a cuppa each. As they get comfortable, Louis dashes into the kitchen to say bye to Harry before he leaves. 

Harry squeaks as Louis grabs him by the waist. “Lou!” He swats him away with the piece of paper he was looking at before Louis snuck up on him. “Now I have to wee _ again _.”

Louis has to hold back on his laughter as he fills the kettle with water from the tap. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think I’d scare you that much.” 

“I wasn’t _ scared _,” Harry replies with a tsk. “Anyway, I’m gonna run for a wee and then I really have to leave. They’ll kill me if I’m late.” 

“Just tell them it’s my fault,” Louis grabs the milk from the fridge and raises his voice so Harry can hear him from the bathroom, “they can call me if it’s an issue!” 

Harry returns to the kitchen as Louis pops yorkshire tea bags into three mugs. “It’s not that big of a deal, but I’m headed out now.” 

Louis drops what he’s doing to rush towards Harry, meeting him halfway to the door for a quick kiss. “Love you, darling.” 

Harry smirks back, “I love you, too.” 

Louis opens the door for Harry as he grabs his keys and walks out. He watches as Harry practically waddles to the car (gracefully, of course) and makes sure he’s on his way before closing the door. 

“Where’s my tea?” Niall pipes up. 

“Oi! Shut up, lad,” Louis replies jokingly as he goes back into the kitchen and pours hot water into each mug. He returns with a tray and sets it down in front of the couch, Niall and Shawn immediately reaching out for their own. 

All three men take a moment to steep their teas and add sugar and milk to their liking — Louis being a milky tea man himself — before Niall clears his throat and attempts to occupy the silence. 

“I’m assuming that this is the plant you’re tending?” Niall gestures towards the front window where Lucy sits. 

“Yeah, doesn’t look too great, does it?” 

Niall hums to himself and Louis can tell he’s trying to respond without hurting his feelings. “It’s not that bad. Might just need some pruning and it could fluff up.” 

Shawn butts in. “Yeah, Ni, remember the petunias we had last year? I thought they had died but once we picked the dead ones off they came back even fuller.”

“H has mentioned that too. I tried it once but didn’t see a difference,” Louis says, biting the inside of his cheek to avoid picking at his nails. 

“What all have you done to it? I remember you mentioning that it’s impossible to water.” 

Louis inhales deeply through his nose. “Well, it used to be in the kitchen but it doesn’t get as much sun so I moved it here. I read that they don’t need much water so I wasn’t giving it much at all. I think the amount of sun and the little bit of water caused it to dry up though,” he clears his throat, “so I gave it more water and it started turning yellow and soggy.” 

Niall nods in understanding. “I mean, aside from the bad leaves along the edges, it looks pretty good to me.” He shrugs as if attempting to retract his statement. “Of course I don’t really know anything about this specific plant.” 

Louis huffs and rubs his forehead as he thinks about what this plant was supposed to represent and how everyone seems to be better at taking care of it than he is. “I just don’t know what to do anymore. No matter what I do it ends up with dead leaves somewhere. Not just one or two, either! If I can’t handle _ this _ , how am I supposed to take care of a _ baby _?”

The last statement blurts out unexpectedly and the three men sit in silence until Shawn clears his throat and begins to speak softly.

“What does Harry think of all this?” 

Louis shrugs and mumbles, “I don’t know.” 

Niall furrows his eyebrows. “He hasn’t said anything to you?” 

“No? What is this, marriage counseling?” Louis snaps back. 

Niall raises his eyebrows at the unexpected attitude. “No, it’s just that— I don’t know, I thought you two had a really good relationship and could talk about these things.” 

Louis wonders what makes Niall think that he can’t talk to Harry. If anything, he feels like he tells Harry too much. “Yeah, we do, but I don’t think Harry really cares what’s going on with my pathetic attempt of keeping a plant. He has bigger things to deal with right now.” 

Niall and Shawn exchange silent glances before Shawn stands up and excuses himself to the bathroom. Once he walks away and the door closes behind him, Niall leans closer to Louis and begins to speak lowly. 

“Louis, I know you’re trying, but I think you’re focusing too much on the wrong things. I know that you think this is proving whether or not you’ll be a good dad, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean anything.” 

Louis continues to bite the inside of his lip and thinks about how much time he really has spent tending to the plant and how all of that time and energy could have been spent on Harry. After a tense moment of silence, Niall continues speaking. 

“Maybe you should consider stepping back from the plant and spend more time, say, helping Harry? I know he likes to do things for himself, but I’m sure there are things that you can do together.” 

It hits Louis that Niall might be right. He has caught himself hiding his thoughts and feelings from Harry recently. He mumbles, “Maybe I have been spending too much time worrying about this.” 

Niall smiles and reaches out to rub Louis’ knee. “Listen— prune some dead leaves, keep doing what you’re doing, and start showing Harry how much you really care. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what Harry needs, but I think it’ll make a difference.”

“Thank you, Niall. I’m sorry I was an ass.” 

“Don’t worry about it, lad. Not the first time and sure it won’t be the last,” Niall smiles as he smacks Louis’ knee and pulls back, turning to see Shawn return. 

“Oh, bug off,” Louis laughs. “But hey, how about I kick both your arses at FIFA?” 

“Oh, it’s _ on _. Shawn here is a beast.” 

Louis raises his eyebrows at them both and scoffs. “We’ll see about that.” 

***

Louis rotates the ceramic pot and stares at it for a little longer than he intends. 

“It’s not going to suddenly die right in front of your eyes, love,” Harry pipes up from the couch with a giggle. 

“But,” Louis rotates the pot counterclockwise to view the other side, “I can’t believe this.” 

Louis thinks back to the advice that Niall gave him for improving the plant and how he’s followed it exactly. He gave it a few days to take effect and now he’s in shock at the difference. 

Louis strokes the delicate leaves softly and groans. “I can’t believe he was right.” 

“Are you going to tell him that?” Harry asks, approaching Louis from behind and stroking the leaves himself. “It really is soft.” 

“Hey! Careful!” Louis replies, playfully slapping Harry’s hands away. “I’ve worked hard on this, you know.” 

“Oh, I _ know. _” Harry rolls his eyes as he turns and goes back to his previous spot on the couch. He plops himself down and gets comfortable before saying, “I’m proud of you, though.” 

“Thanks, love. As long as it stays this way, we’ll be good.” He catches a glimpse of Harry’s slight grin before pulling his iPhone from his back pocket. He opens up the camera and squats to get an artistic angle as he snaps a few photos to send to Niall. 

_ Ni! Took your advice and backed off. Look! _

He attaches multiple pictures so that Niall won’t be able to accuse him of hiding a dead patch. He takes another quick glance at the plant before his phone dings. 

_ What did I tell ya lad! Shawn got me big into gardening so I know a little. How’s it going with H? _

He looks over at Harry on the couch, mindlessly scrolling through his phone with his feet propped up to reduce the swelling, and is instantly overwhelmed with gratitude and love for him. Louis thinks to himself and flashes back to the past several months of foot massages, spontaneous sex, late night runs for fast food, and countless other ways he’s attempted to keep his husband satisfied. He wonders why Niall takes it upon himself to check on Harry’s happiness and well-being when he’s not the one married to him. He sends a final message to Niall. 

_ He’s wonderful. I’ve got it all handled. _

***

Louis tiptoes into the bedroom, careful not to make any sudden sounds as to not wake his sleeping husband. He sets a tray on the foot of the bed and walks over to partially open the curtains, allowing a small amount of sunlight to pour into the room. He walks back over to the bed and sits on his side before leaning over and rubbing Harry’s side. 

“Harry, love, wake up,” he whispers, causing Harry to start to stir. He continues to rub up and down Harry’s arm until he wakes up. 

Harry rolls over suddenly, his eyes half opened and brows furrowed. “Lou, what—” he shakes his head and yawns. “What time is it? Shouldn’t you be at work?” 

“Shhh, it’s okay.” Louis coos. “I took the day off.” 

“Why? Why today?” Harry asks, a hint of panic still in his voice. 

Louis shrugs, “I just felt like we haven’t been seeing much of each other lately and I wanted to fix that.” 

“Really?” Harry asks, his voice cracking as he juts his bottom lip out dramatically. He had been doing that a lot lately. Louis just blamed the hormones. 

Louis smiles down at him. “Yeah, really.” He turns and reaches behind him, sliding the tray closer to Harry. “I brought you breakfast.” 

Harry gasps and sits up, scooting himself backwards and spreading his legs so that Louis can push the food in front of him. He dramatically covers his mouth with both hands as he looks down at the plate of french toast and turkey bacon. He glances around at all of the details that Louis put into his breakfast — a perfectly-folded napkin with the silverware on top, a glass of orange juice, two prenatal vitamins, and a small note that says ‘love you, H. -L’.

Louis notices tears welling up in Harry’s eyes as he looks up at him and says, “_ Lou! _” 

“Do you like it? 

Harry sniffles and replies in a cracked voice, “Do I _ like _ it? Lou, I’m—” He starts fanning his eyes and Louis leans over to grab a box of tissues. Harry takes one from him and dabs the corners of his eyes. 

“Go ahead and eat, love. I don’t want it to get cold.” 

Louis sits and watches as Harry starts to cut his french toast into bite-size pieces. He admires the way he looks right now, his shoulder-length curly hair in disarray around his flushed face and his eyes and lips slightly puffy from crying. He sees Harry stick his tongue out as he takes his first bite of the french toast and raises his eyebrows when they make eye contact. 

“How is it?” 

Harry finishes chewing and swallows that bite. “It’s very good. Thank you.” 

“Of course, sweetheart. How about you finish eating and I’ll go finish the dishes?” 

“Okay,” Harry smiles as he slowly chews another bite. “Can I have a kiss?” 

Louis stands up and walks around to Harry’s side of the bed, leaning down to connect their lips. They exchange a few soft pecks before Louis pulls away with a laugh. “You taste like maple, babe.” 

“Sure that’s better than morning breath,” Harry replies as he pops another bite into his mouth. 

“Definitely can’t argue with that one.”

*

Louis returns to the bedroom a short time after and is greeted by a naked Harry standing in front of the closet. He takes a moment to admire the contrast between the toned muscles of his back and the new softness of his breasts and his growing stomach. He shakes himself out of those thoughts before he ends up sidetracked. 

“Whatcha doing?” 

“I got some syrup on my pajamas,” Harry says as he tugs a sweatshirt on over his head. He puts a hand on the nearby dresser for some stability as he steps into a pair of leggings. 

“I’m sorry, I should have done something less messy,” Louis says sincerely. 

“Not your fault I’m so clumsy,” Harry says as he stands up and ruffles his hair, freeing it from the neckline of his hoodie. He walks over and grabs Louis’ hands. “It really was delicious though, thank you again.” 

“You’re absolutely welcome, my love,” Louis says, feeling Harry swing their conjoined hands. “What would you say if I told you that was only the first surprise?” 

Harry scrunches his nose up to hold back a grin. 

“The next one’s in the other room. You wanna see?” 

At this point, Harry isn’t attempting to hide his excitement. He grins from ear to ear as he says giddily, “Of course I wanna see!” 

“Let’s go then,” Louis says as he starts to walk towards the hall, pulling Harry with him. Harry follows willingly and gasps when Louis goes behind him and puts his hands over his eyes. 

“What is it?” Harry asks excitedly as they slowly move down the hall into the spare bedroom. 

Louis guides him through the doorway and positions him so that he’s facing the correct way. “You ready?” 

Harry is practically shaking with excitement and the smile never leaves his face as he says, “Yes!” 

“I’m gonna count down.” Louis feels himself suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety, wondering if the surprise will really be good enough for Harry. He pushes this thought away and begins to countdown from three. 

“Three, two—“ he pauses momentarily to tease Harry one last time before shouting _ one! _ and removing his hands from Harry’s face. 

“Oh my god!” Harry gasps loudly and covers his mouth with his hands. He pulls his hands away from his face and gawks for a moment before shouting. “Louis! How did you?” 

A few months earlier, Harry had persuaded Louis to look at various nursery furniture and pointed out everything he wanted. There was one crib and matching changing table in particular that Harry fell in love with and had since seemingly forgotten about, but Louis had gone back just a few days later and bought them as a surprise. Unfortunately, they were sold out at the time and he had to have it ordered. He had gotten the call the day before and he had snuck out of bed in the wee hours of the morning to assemble it before Harry woke up. Though he may be tired now, seeing Harry this excited makes it completely worth it. 

“What? Did you think I forgot?” Louis wraps his arms around Harry’s waist from the back, pulling him close enough to place a quick kiss to the side of his neck and prop his chin on his shoulder. 

“No, I just—” Harry’s voice cracks and he takes a moment to breathe before continuing. “I just didn’t think I would have anything this nice.” 

Louis unwraps himself from Harry and spins him around so that they’re face-to-face. He takes Harry’s hands into his own and squeezes them tightly as he looks him in the eye. “You deserve this, love. I knew how much you loved this in the shop, so I wanted you to have it.”

Harry bites his bottom lip and Louis can tell he’s holding back tears, though his cheeks are already wet and his eyes puffy and red. He nods quickly and takes a deep breath through his nose. He whispers, “I really do love it, it’s perfect.” 

Louis quickly peeks over and admires the placement under the big window and how well the furniture looks in the bare room. He pulls Harry closer, having to lean a bit to wrap himself around the bump to get close to Harry’s face. He whispers, “I think it could be better.” 

“Lou,” Harry says softly, the look on his face giving away the fact that he knows Louis has something else up his sleeve.

“What do you say we go out and get some paint, maybe lighten the room up a bit?” 

This time Harry doesn’t hold back as the tears stream down his cheeks. “I’d love that.” 

*

“Stop that!” Harry squeals as Louis approaches him from behind and squeezes his ass. 

Louis giggles and crouches to avoid being hit with splatter as Harry swats his paintbrush at him. “Sorry, love. It’s just so perky.” 

Harry dramatically pops his hip and smacks his own ass. He rubs circles in the soft flesh while grinning over his shoulder at Louis. “I’m aware.” 

Louis rolls his eyes and goes back to painting, hearing Harry continue to snicker at himself. He uses a roller to cover the dated beige paint with a light shade of yellow, one that they both agreed would look the best with the light gray furniture already in the room. Early on, they had both decided that they didn’t want to know the sex of the baby. A few people had complained about this, saying that they were unable to buy gifts if they didn’t know whether it was a boy or a girl, but Harry and Louis both agreed that they didn’t need gifts from anyone that narrow-minded. 

“I can’t believe this is happening so quickly.” Harry pipes up after a few moments of silence. 

Louis hides the fact that his stomach sinks at the thought. “I know, love. Crazy innit?” 

Harry wipes the back of his hand across his forehead, careful to avoid getting paint in his hair. “It feels like just yesterday I was getting sick and just assumed I had food poisoning.” He giggles at his thought and places a hand on the small of his back. “Now I’m just massive and expecting a tiny person in, what,” he counts in his head, “five weeks?”

Louis nods to himself and sighs. “Barely over a month to go, then, but at least we’re making good progress, right?” he gestures around the room. 

“Ye— Oh! That reminds me, I started packing my hospital bag but it’s missing a few things that were in the wash. Could you remind me to grab them later?” 

“Of course, love.” Louis smiles over at Harry, who has returned to painting and seems to be lost in thought and humming to himself. 

Louis finishes his wall as he listens to Harry hum and whistle. Most people probably listen to the radio during tedious tasks like this, but early on in their relationship Louis realized that Harry enjoys the silence and keeps himself occupied through hums, whistles, joke telling, or just casual conversation —one of the little things that made him fall in love with him all those years ago. 

“So I know that we said we won’t care if it’s a boy or a girl, but I know you have your heart set on one, right?” Harry says after a while of silence. 

Louis wonders if this is a loaded question but answers truthfully anyway. “I genuinely don’t mind either way. I’ve considered both.” 

Harry stops painting to turn and look at Louis. “Really?” 

Louis nods with a soft smile. 

“Yeah, me too,” Harry grins and returns to his painting.

A long time passes before Harry suddenly screeches and bursts into a loud fit of giggles. Louis is startled and turns to see what happened when he finds Harry holding out his t-shirt, which appears to be completely covered in the yellow paint. 

“What happened?” 

Harry continues to laugh for a moment before catching his breath enough to tell Louis. “I didn’t realize that I’ve been rubbing against the wall this entire time.” 

Louis listens to the explanation and immediately notices a section of the wall that is smeared exactly at bump level. He tries not to laugh but catches himself smirking anyway. “How did you manage that?” 

“I guess when I was stretching to reach the top I was brushing against it and didn’t even know.” He looks down at his yellow stomach again and the fit of laughter starts all over. 

This time Louis takes in the full picture. Harry is standing in front of him wearing tiny shorts and an old ratty t-shirt that barely fits anymore, his hair is barely constrained by the clip he placed there hours prior, and he’s in a screaming fit of laughter over the fact that his eight-months-pregnant belly has been brushing against his freshly painted walls. At this, Louis can’t help but laugh along, but it’s only a short moment before Harry runs out of the room. 

Louis runs after him and catches him going into the bathroom. Harry doesn’t close the door all the way so Louis peeps in and sees him sitting on the toilet having a wee, something he had started doing a couple of months earlier when his stomach got too big to see over. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, just about weed myself, though,” Harry replies as he grabs a tissue from the sink to blow his nose and wipe the wetness from his eyes from all of the laughing. 

Louis shakes his head playfully, “Now, we don’t want that, do we?” 

Harry blushes and finishes up, going to wash his hands as Louis walks up and starts rubbing his lower back. “What do you say we call it a day, hm?” 

Harry shakes some of the wetness off of his hands before grabbing a hand towel. He cocks his head to the side and looks at Louis in the mirror. “We can do that. My back is starting to kill me.” 

Louis turns Harry so they’re face-to-face. “Well, how about we get cleaned up? I’ll go put the paint away and let the brushes soak and you can go ahead and hop in the shower.” 

Harry immediately takes Louis’ face into his hands and gently brushes against the hair around his ears. “Okay, but don’t be long.” 

Louis smiles softly. “I won’t, darling, might miss you too much.”

Harry brushes a thumb across Louis’ lips before pulling away and walking towards the tub. He starts to take his shirt off but stops halfway to wave Louis out of the room. “Well? Go on, then.”

Louis throws his hands up in defense as he leaves the room with a smile. 

*

When Louis returns a few minutes later, he’s immediately overwhelmed by the steam in the room. He pushes that thought aside as he quickly strips himself of his clothes and joins Harry in the shower. 

“Could you wash my back, Lou?” Harry says with a cheeky smile as he turns around. He genuinely needs the help but knows how much it drives Louis mad. 

Louis takes the soap and towel from Harry, quickly lathering up a foam before starting at the base of Harry’s neck and working down. He rubs circles across his shoulders and down his spine, causing Harry to whimper and throw his head to the side. 

“It feels so good, thank you.” 

Louis tries not to focus on the delicate way that the dip of Harry’s lower back is softly accentuated by his growing belly, which has gotten quite big at this point. He works over the spanse of skin once more.“You’re welcome, love.”

Harry turns to allow the suds to rinse away as he takes the soap and towel back from Louis. He places the soap on the corner shelf and steps aside, letting Louis take the spot nearest the water. Louis closes his eyes and wets his hair, blindly grabbing the shampoo and lathering up before rinsing the bubbles away. When he opens his eyes again, he’s met by Harry running the foamy rag across his chest, causing the bubbles to wash down his bump. He’s mesmerized by the way Harry caresses his puffy breasts and how the suds follow along with the pink stretch marks that are more prominent by the day. 

“Enjoying the show?” Harry asks with raised eyebrows and a smile. 

Louis shakes his head and grins back. “You’re such a menace.” 

“I know, I’m the worst.” Harry grins and shrugs before clearing his throat. “Could you, ehm, wash my hair?” 

“Of course, turn around,” Louis replies, waving his finger in a circle. He grabs the bottle of shampoo and squirts a dollop into his hand before starting on the sides of Harry’s hair, working sideways and down, careful not to disrupt the curls too much. He massages his scalp along the way and works down to the ends, which are now long enough to stick to his shoulders. Harry tilts his head backwards to assure that Louis gets everything. “Go ahead and rinse, love.”

Harry turns and allows the water to run down his face and through his hair. Once Harry rinses all of the suds away, he holds his hands out between them both to allow for Louis to squeeze some of the conditioner into them. Harry makes a kissy face and smiles softly as he massages the cream into the ends of his hair, careful to avoid getting too close to his scalp. 

Louis feels his cock twitch as he watches Harry rinse his hair one last time, noticing the way that his biceps and shoulder muscles flex under his tanned skin. “You’re so hot.” 

Harry turns the water off and pushes his wet hair back as he turns around, smirking deviously. “I thought you’d never mention it.” 

*

Louis is dizzy with arousal by the time he has his mouth on Harry’s thighs. He places his hands on both legs to hold them open and wastes no time spreading wet kisses and gentle bites across the soft flesh. Harry reacts by whimpering and attempting to squeeze his legs together, which causes Louis to bite and suck particularly hard. After leaving a purple mark in the crease of his thigh, Louis pulls away and notices the pool of precome beginning to form where Harry’s hard cock is sitting against his hip.

“I love how wet you get for me, love,” Louis says as he gently strokes Harry’s slit with the tip of his finger. “So pink and slick, like always.” 

Louis kisses the bruise he made moments prior once more before spreading Harry’s ass and exposing his hole. He leans in and places a series of wide licks across the puckered skin, feeling the immediate reaction of Harry tensing his thighs around him. He pulls away and rubs a thumb over the area, watching as it quivers at his touch before diving back in with a stiffer tongue. 

Louis feels Harry run his fingers through his damp hair and pull him in, clearly desperate for more. As Louis prods his tongue harder at the entrance, he gets as close as possible and takes in Harry’s natural muskiness, strong even after showering. He continues licking at the tight muscle and adds a finger alongside his tongue, slowly trying to push in with little lubrication. After getting the tip of his finger in, he pulls it out and takes a few more licks at the slightly loosened entrance before pulling away. “Love, could you pass me the lube?” 

He lifts himself onto his elbows as he watches Harry stretch his arm to the side and grab the bottle on the nightstand. Louis quickly thanks his past self for leaving it out a few nights earlier and reaches to grab it from Harry. “Thanks, darling.” 

He clicks the bottle open and squirts a tiny amount onto two fingers before setting it to the side, knowing he’ll need it again soon. He rubs both digits on the wet entrance and gently slides his pointer finger in. Once fully inside, Louis takes a moment to allow Harry to adjust to the small stretch. In this time, he leans down and kisses Harry’s taint a few times, making sure to apply as much pressure as possible. 

“‘m ready for another,” Harry breathes out after a small gasp. 

Louis admires Harry’s neediness and kisses his sensitive inner thigh as he continues to open him up. He adds the tip of his second finger and slowly sinks it in alongside the first, feeling more of a stretch. Once he’s loose enough, Louis begins to spread his fingers inside of Harry, allowing for him to open up further. Harry starts to practically roll his hips in response and lets out a high-pitched moan. 

_ “Louis _ , _ please. _” 

Louis pulls his fingers nearly all of the way out only to thrust them back in. “Just a moment, love. Almost ready.” 

Louis suddenly begins thrusting his fingers rapidly, occasionally hitting Harry’s prostate and causing him to let out a string of gasps. Out of the corner of his eye, Louis notices Harry gripping the duvet so hard that his knuckles are white. He pulls out at once and admires the way his hole already looks wrecked, just from taking his fingers. 

Louis can’t resist the urge to lean down once more to lap his tongue in and out of the loosened entrance. He thinks he could get lost in the way the silky skin feels against his mouth and the way Harry always tastes so mildly salty, but he’s forced out of that thought by Harry yanking on his hair again. 

Louis pulls away and awkwardly wipes his mouth with the back of his hand as he sits up on his knees. He strokes up and down both of Harry’s spread thighs and cocks his head to the side, feeling his own hard cock bounce at the thought of giving Harry what he wants. 

“Are you ready for me, baby?” 

“Yes, always, been ready,” Harry rambles quickly. He looks at Louis with lidded eyes as he rubs his fingers across his bottom lip. 

Louis slaps the outer edge of Harry’s right thigh before grabbing the bottle of lube and squirting some onto his cock. He tosses the bottle to the side as he strokes himself a few times, being sure to wipe any excess liquid on Harry’s tight entrance. His heart flutters as he takes a moment to look down at Harry, so vulnerable and needy and so, so gorgeous. 

“From the side or behind, love?” 

Harry lets out a _ hmph _ and quickly rolls himself onto one side, allowing for Louis to get into a spooning position. Louis adjusts himself so his front is pressed against Harry’s back and grabs the base of his cock, rubbing it along Harry’s crack before lining it up with his entrance. He props himself on one elbow and brushes Harry’s damp hair away from his neck so he can lean down and leave soft kisses while he grabs his cock and starts pressing in slowly. 

Harry is malleable against him, melting into Louis as he continues kissing his neck to distract him from the stretch of his cock. Both men moan as Louis bottoms out, Harry gasping when Louis gently nips at the skin below his ear. 

“Let me know when, love.” Louis holds still and continues to mouth at Harry’s neck and the back of his shoulder. He reaches around and rubs circles into Harry’s stomach, slowly inching down until he reaches his bush of pubes and runs his fingers through the hair there. He thinks back to a few months earlier when he had sucked Harry’s cock and made sure to nuzzle into his newly-thickened bush, proving to Harry that there was nothing wrong with him not shaving down there—something Harry became was self-conscious about once his bump got too big to work around. 

Harry reaches around and places a hand on Louis’ hip. “‘m ready.” 

Louis slowly pulls out and pushes back in, careful to avoid hurting Harry. He doesn’t feel a squeeze on his hip so he does it again, this time a little faster. He falls into a slow rhythm and caresses Harry’s swollen breasts, now even more sensitive than they were before he got pregnant. He rubs circles around the hard nipple, squeezing and twisting a little harder as he draws out Harry’s moans of encouragement. 

“Oh my _god,_” Harry breathes out at the sensation, burying his face into the nearby pillow to hide his continuous whimpers in time with Louis’ thrusts. 

Louis licks behind Harry’s ear and then nips at the lobe before whispering, “You like that?”

Harry pulls away from the pillow and Louis can immediately see how flushed his cheeks are. He has his bottom lip between his teeth as he nods quickly. 

Louis picks up his pace and brings two fingers up to Harry’s mouth, who greedily accepts them. He licks around both fingers to wetten them as much as he can before Louis pulls them back out and uses them to place feathery-soft touches up and down Harry’s neglected cock, causing it to twitch slightly at the teasing sensation. Once he gets to the tip, he strokes the foreskin and feels the slickness of the precome that continues to leak out, sliding his finger between the skin and Harry’s tip and circling around the tight space. 

“You’re so wet, baby,” Louis whispers into Harry’s ear before gently sucking into the soft skin below it. “Bet it tastes so good.” 

Harry grabs Louis’ wrist and pulls it away from his cock and up to his mouth. He sticks the fingers between his lips and cleans them of his precome, humming softly before pulling them out and kissing them gently. 

“Fuck, you’re amazing.” Louis pulls his hand away from Harry’s mouth and uses it to grab his jaw, pulling him around so that they’re facing each other. Harry playfully bites the tip of Louis’ thumb as he runs it across his puffy lower lip. Louis shakes his head but can’t hold back the smile that spreads over his features as he lowers himself to connect their lips to be met with the familiar neediness of Harry lapping his tongue around his. Louis stops moving his hips as he continues kissing Harry intensely, the feeling of both being too overwhelming to handle. 

He breaks the kiss to catch his breath a few moments later and is suddenly aware of Harry’s fingers in his hair. Louis feels Harry’s heavy breath flutter against his lips as he takes in his pronounced features, particularly his bright green eyes that look like they’ve watered up. “I love you so much, Harry.” 

“I love you, too, Louis,” Harry replies in a soft, cracked voice before leaning in to kiss Louis one last time. 

Louis pulls away and sits up, helping Harry get onto his back comfortably. “Is this okay?” 

Harry shifts and winces. “My back is a little—” 

Louis doesn’t allow Harry to finish before he goes across the room and grabs a lumbar pillow from the armchair. He returns to the bed and helps Harry get it under his lower back. “I’m sorry, is that better, love?” 

“‘s okay.” Harry nods with a smile and spreads his legs so Louis can fit between them. Louis positions himself on his knees and lines his cock up with Harry’s entrance once again, slowly sliding in as he bends Harry’s legs upwards towards his chest. 

Louis loves hearing the gentle whimper Harry makes every time he bottoms out inside him. He quickly picks up the pace and notices Harry gripping onto the duvet covers and biting his bottom lip. He starts to feel his orgasm looming in his lower stomach. 

This new position causes Louis to suddenly be overwhelmed with how much he loves Harry’s pregnant body. He lets go of one of Harry’s legs and uses the free hand to caress his bump instead. He rambles as he rubs circles with his thumb. “I’m gonna miss this, love. You look so pretty, so amazing.”

Harry puts his hand flat on top of Louis’ and whispers, “Yeah?” 

“Fuck, yes, you’re so perfect, baby.” He reaches up to cup Harry’s breast again. “Always so perfect.”

Louis immediately repositions himself so that he’s propped on both hands on either side of Harry’s shoulders. He thrusts as quickly as possible, causing Harry to dig his nails into his back. Their moans in unison are the only other sound in the room apart from the fast, slick thrusting noises of their bodies joining together. Louis dreads this moment coming to an end but knows his orgasm is close as he leans down and kisses Harry with tongue. 

When Louis breaks the kiss, he sits up and pulls out of Harry, quickly jerking himself off as he gets closer and closer to his orgasm. A moment later, he releases with a choked groan and paints Harry’s stomach with thick come. In the seconds that follow, he’s dizzy with emotions and the high of his orgasm, but quickly springs into action to get Harry off. 

Harry moans as Louis slides two fingers into him and immediately curls them to hit his prostate. Louis starts pushing on the sensitive bud as he repositions himself to be able to get his mouth on Harry’s neglected cock. He wastes no time taking the tip into his mouth and sliding down, knowing that Harry won’t last long enough for him to tease anyway. It’s not long before Harry is quivering and squeezing his thighs together around him. He runs his fingers through Louis’ hair and pulls, swearing loudly at the same time that his cock begins twitching. Louis happily swallows the salty come that fills his mouth and pulls off to catch his breath, stroking Harry’s spent cock once more to squeeze out the last bit of his orgasm before pulling his fingers out of Harry’s ass. 

“Fucking hell, Louis,” Harry pants, his chest rising and falling quickly as he tries to catch his breath. He makes grabby hands towards Louis and starts whimpering needily.

“I’m here, love.” Louis cuddles into Harry’s side and kisses his neck softly. He inhales deeply and takes a second to appreciate this closeness and the way their comfortable silences can say so much. He breathes in Harry’s scent, a mixture of body wash and a tinge of sweat, and struggles to keep his eyes open. He places one hand on Harry’s stomach and rubs a few small circles. “‘m gonna miss this so much.” 

Harry inhales deeply through his nose, turning his head to face Louis. He twirls Louis’ messy hair with his fingers. “Miss what?” 

“This silence,” he pauses to collect his thoughts. “The way it’s just us, you know? We’ve always just been _ HarryandLouis, _ and it’ll never be that way again.” 

Harry stays silent and runs his fingers through the hair at the base of Louis’ neck. “That’s okay, though, right?” 

Louis’ stomach cramps up as he’s brought back to reality. 

“Yeah, ‘course.” 

***

Louis’ mind is a neverending mantra of _ fuck fuck fuck. _ It takes all of his self-control to resist the urge to bite his nails, something that he has mostly given up in recent years but still has urges to do in stressful moments like this. He hopes that Harry can’t tell that he’s panicking. 

“Lou, are you alright?” 

Okay, so, maybe it’s really obvious. He wonders if it was the silence or the shaking leg that gave it away. 

He clears his throat loudly and sits up straight to look more convincing. “I’m fine, honey. As long as you and the baby are okay then so am I.” 

Harry smiles and squeezes Louis’ hand but is immediately interrupted by the door opening and their doctor walking in. 

“Alright, Mr. Tomlinson, it looks like everything is completely normal,” the older man looks over his clipboard as he pauses briefly. “From what I can see, I don’t believe that labor will begin in the next day or two, but I would suggest that you both still be prepared because it tends to really sneak up.” 

Louis feels like he could vomit. 

***

The knot in Louis’ stomach doesn’t go away at any point during their drive home from the doctor’s office. He tries to maintain some composure out of concern for Harry and the baby, but he doesn’t know how long he can manage to keep it up. 

Once they get home, Louis helps Harry out of the car and into the house, even though Harry insists he doesn’t need any assistance. He giggles as Harry waddles his way into the bedroom to change into comfortable pajamas, since the doctor told him to relax until the baby comes. He was also sure to mention that this might be the last time either of them get any rest for a while, which isn’t helping Louis’ situation at all. 

“Do you want some tea, love?” Louis shouts from the kitchen as he shakily pours water into the kettle for his own brew. He hears Harry shout back and opens the cabinet to dig for his special pregnancy tea, something Louis was very snobbishly against. ‘_ It’s not a real cuppa, H, it’s flower water’ _he had told him many times, Harry always being quick to recite the benefits and reasoning behind it. 

As Louis steeps their tea bags, Harry waddles into the kitchen with both hands on his lower back. He groans lowly and throws his head back. “I find it funny how they tell me to relax when I feel like this kid is kicking me in the spine.” 

“I’m sorry, baby.” Louis gives Harry a soft smile as he finishes adding cream to his tea. “How about we just go watch a movie, hm? Prop your feet up?” 

Harry’s eyebrows stay furrowed as he rubs his lower back once again. Louis can see the obvious discomfort he’s in and he feels like an arse for thinking _ he’s _ the one that should be worried right now. 

“Come on, love, I’ll bring the tea.” Louis gestures towards the living room and walks in quickly, setting the two mugs on the table before turning around to help Harry get comfortable on the couch. 

Harry winces as he plops down onto the soft surface and lets out a loud sigh. Louis helps him by propping his legs on the coffee table and squeezing a pillow behind his lower back. “Is this okay?” 

Harry nods with a soft smile but Louis can tell he’s still miserable. “Yeah, I’m okay.” 

“Here, start sipping on this and I’ll be right back so we can watch summat. Decide what you wanna see, alright?” Louis hands Harry his hot mug of tea and kisses his forehead before walking to the other side of the room to check on Lucy.

Louis stops in his tracks and inhales deeply through his nose to hold back from yelling when he sees the state of the plant. It’s completely shriveled around the top and some of the leaves around the bottom are completely browned and dried up. He feels himself begin to shake when he rotates the plant to see that this condition has taken over the entire thing. His eyes immediately begin welling up as he tries to figure out what happened. He picks up the watering can and pours a little onto the dry dirt but feels like it’s useless at this point. 

“Lou? Everything alright?” 

Louis can’t bear to turn and look at him, but instead tries to reply but struggles to make a sound. He whispers a hushed _ yeah _ but can’t control the influx of tears that follow. He looks out the window as he thinks about everything that’s happening right now with the baby and Lucy and how he doesn’t know if he can handle it. 

“Louis? Baby?” 

Louis turns quickly, attempting to wipe away the wetness on his eyes as he’s met face-to-face with Harry. He sniffles and wipes his eyes once more. “Everything’s fine.”

“What’s going on? Why’re you—what happened to Lucy?” Harry rambles, quickly looking between Louis and the pitiful plant with a concerned look on his face. 

Louis stares at the floor in silence, pulling his hands up to his face. “I can’t do this.” 

“Do what, Louis? What’s wrong?” 

Louis is nauseated by Harry’s worried tone, knowing that he doesn’t want to hear what he’s really thinking. He bites the inside of his cheek and feels a new influx of wetness around his eyes.

“_ Louis! _”

“All of this! I can’t, okay? I really just can’t!” he snaps with a cracked voice, struggling to maintain composure before he breaks into a full sob. He finally looks up at Harry and notices the tears streaming down his face too. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I can’t have a baby, Harry!” He gestures his hands at Harry’s stomach before pointing at the plant. “I can’t even keep a fucking _ plant _ alive, how will I raise a _ baby? _” 

“It’s just a plant, Louis! It doesn’t mean anything!” 

Louis clenches his jaw and feels his nostrils flare up as he takes in what Harry just said. “_ Doesn’t mean anything? _ What has this been to you? A fun little _ hobby? _” 

“It was a stupid idea in the first place! What do babies and fucking houseplants have in common, Louis, _ really _?” Harry bites down on his bottom lip and shakes his head as new tears begin to form around his eyes. He lowers his voice and speaks harshly. “If you didn’t want to have a baby, maybe you should have said so.”

Harry’s tone cuts Louis deep, causing a flood of new emotions—guilt, anger, sadness—to swirl within him. He takes a deep, shuddery breath to compose himself. “I do want a baby, I’m just scared.”

“Scared of what?” Harry shrieks. “You’re not the one that’s pregnant! You don’t think that _ I’m _ scared, Louis? You won’t be giving birth or breastfeeding or having to wake up every hour during the night to feed them!” 

“I just don’t want to be a bad father, alright?” Louis snaps, hoping to get Harry off his case. 

Harry looks at Louis in disbelief, his eyebrows furrowed and jaw slack. “Why are you just now saying this? You knew we were having a baby and you’ve just been placing all of this false hope on a _ plant? _” 

He takes a deep breath and pauses, waiting for Louis’ response that doesn’t come. 

“You know what, Louis? I’ve never done this either. I haven’t been pregnant or been a parent but you know what? I’m _ trying _. Yes, I’m fucking terrified, but what am I supposed to do about it now?” 

Louis stands still in silence for what feels like ages. He hears Harry sniffle but is too afraid to look him in the eyes and see the amount of disappointment on his face. “Love, I’m—”

“Don’t ‘_ love _’ me, Louis! Why won’t you look at me and tell me the truth? What is it that you’re so afraid of?” 

“Everything! What if something goes wrong during the birth, hm? What if the baby gets sick? How am I supposed to know what they need, if they can’t tell me! What if they fall off the bed? There’s an endless number of things that could go wrong! Why am I so wrong for being afraid?”

“No one is saying that! I’m just—” Harry cuts off with a loud yell, buckling at his knees and catching himself with a hand on the back of the sofa. 

Louis gasps, instinctively reaching out for Harry and grabbing him by the shoulders. He yells frantically. “What’s going on?” 

“I don’t know!” Harry is completely flushed and has a horrified expression as he struggles to hold himself up. He places a hand on his lower stomach and cries out in excruciating pain. 

“The baby?” Louis screams as he tries to lead Harry to the couch to sit down. “Is it contractions?” 

“It fucking _ hurts _, whatever it is!” Harry lets out an agonized groan and throws his head back, clenching his eyes shut as he attempts to take deep breaths like he learned in his lamaze class. 

“It’s okay! Just—” Louis cuts himself off as he runs through the house frantically, grabbing everything Harry had set out for when this happened. He starts reciting the procedure they planned in his head. “Should I call the doctor?” 

“In the car! Let’s just go, Louis!” 

Louis grabs the bags and throws them over his shoulder as he runs back to the living room where Harry is attempting to count the time between each contraction. He reaches out with both arms to pull Harry up from the couch and assist him to the car. “Come on, love.” 

Louis helps Harry drag himself across the living room and to the front door. Before they can step out, Harry starts whipping his head around in panic. “Did you get my phone? Is everything still in the bag?” 

Louis waves an iPhone in the air and drops it back into his pocket, keeping his other hand tightly gripped onto Harry’s arm in an attempt to pull him to the car. “I have everything!” 

Harry nods and tenses up as another wave of pain takes over his body. Once it passes, he allows Louis to take him to the car where he helps him into the passenger seat, quickly helping him fasten his seatbelt and placing a chaste kiss to his forehead before he closes the door and runs to the drivers side. He starts the car and it hits him just how much he’s shaking, unsure if it’s from the rushing around or because its starting to sink in that they’re having an actual _ baby _. He tries not to think about himself and instead returns his focus back to Harry. “Hold my hand, love. Everything is gonna be fine, okay? I’ve got it.” 

Louis feels a squeeze on his hand and sees Harry nod out of the corner of his eye as he drives to the hospital. 

***

“I can’t get over how beautiful she is, Louis.” Harry says quietly from across the room. “She’s perfect.” 

Louis watches as Harry looks down at their daughter in pure awe and amazement—an expression that’s hardly left his face since she was born five days earlier. He imagines he’s not much different himself. “It’s because she looks like you, love.” 

Harry blushes bright red and looks up at Louis with a scrunched-up nose that fails to hide the smile that spreads across his face. He looks down at the swaddled infant and strokes her cheek with his pointer finger. “She does, doesn’t she?” 

Louis thinks back to the first time he saw her—how her wide nose, full lips, and dark, wispy hair immediately reminded him of Harry—and how he immediately fell in love and knew he would do anything for her. He walks across the room and hovers behind the chair Harry is sitting in, peeking over his shoulder to look at the baby. She’s sleeping and yet they are completely drawn to her, watching as she takes shallow breaths and occasionally shudders and lets out soft coos. Louis reaches down and softly rubs a knuckle down her soft cheek, his heart fluttering at the way she responds to his touch. “I still can’t believe you did this, love. Blows my mind.” 

“Well, it wasn’t _ all _ me,” Harry giggles and turns to face Louis. “Do you want her? She should be waking up soon to nurse, so if you’d like to hold her until then I’ll go freshen up a bit.” 

“Yeah, course.” Louis takes the warm bundle from Harry, being careful not to wake her as he places a quick kiss on Harry’s cheek. 

“I’ll be quick, let me know if she gets fussy,” Harry whispers as he walks to the bathroom. He turns to blow Louis a kiss and giggles as he closes the door. 

“I think we can handle it.” Louis whispers to himself as he looks down at the baby, still fast asleep in his arms. He begins humming to himself as he walks across the room, gently bouncing her with each step. He looks around the room at all of the balloons and other gifts that people had been sending the last few days—flowers from Niall and Shawn, fruit baskets from their mums, and odds and ends from other colleagues—and his chest aches with all of the love and support that they have from those close to them. 

He walks to the front window to look outside, checking on the neighbors and the weather, when he sees that Lucy has sprung back up since he last saw her days earlier. He glances around, noticing the lack of dried leaves and hums to himself in disbelief. Before he can think too hard about it, the baby starts to wiggle in his arms. 

“Good morning, sweetie,” he whispers, looking down and watching as she stretches herself awake, slowly opening her eyes and looking up at him in silence. He smiles as she awkwardly brings her hand up to her face, feeling around until she finds her mouth and begins suckling on her fingers contently. 

“Is she okay? I can take her now.” 

Louis turns and sees Harry getting comfortable on the couch. He waits until he’s completely settled before he passes the baby over, even though she isn’t fussy yet. Harry lets out a low and drawn out _ hiiiii _ and smiles from ear to ear when he lays the baby down in front of himself. “I missed you, beautiful!” 

Louis watches in awe at the way Harry interacts with their daughter, completely amazed at how quickly and seamlessly he has jumped into this new role. He grabs his iPhone from the coffee table and opens his camera, quickly snapping a few photos to commemorate this moment—something so tediously mundane, yet something he wants to look back on years from now. 

“It was me, by the way,” Harry says quietly. “I watered Lucy yesterday.” 

“Oh? Thank you, love,” Louis replies, not sure how to feel about it. 

“You’re welcome. That’s okay, right?” 

Louis takes a moment to look between Harry and Lucy, and then glances down at the baby—now kicking away as she continues to suck on her hand—and it hits him what really matters. He realizes that his problem was being too hard on himself, acting as if he would be alone on this new journey, even though he and Harry are a perfect team and have made it through every challenge and obstacle up to this point. What difference could there be now? He suddenly feels ridiculous over the amount of panicking he did for the past seven months or so and how much time and effort went into keeping a plant alive when all it took was stepping away and letting someone help with something that they know more about than he does—he imagines that parenthood must be pretty similar.

He catches himself smiling as he thinks about how well he and Harry have already been doing and how well they work together, meaning there’s no way that they can’t get through this as a team. 

“Of course it’s okay. It’s perfect.”


End file.
